Sonos Ace Ultra Headphones Review: Premium Sound And An Ever-Improving App

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Sonos is on a journey of redemption. Despite consistently releasing solid hardware, a disastrous app update a couple of years ago shook the faith of customers. In the years since, Sonos has been working to rebuild trust with consumers, and as with many of its recent releases, the new Sonos Ace Ultra headphones are another step in the right direction.

Over the past week, I've been using Sonos Ace Ultra headphones, which combine great build quality, impressive sound, and a deep integration with Sonos' other devices — as everything can be controlled by a single app. With support for lossless and spatial audio, they also deliver up to 35 hours of battery life, have access to ANC and ambient modes, and more.

Packed in a premium design, here's everything you need to know about the $449 Sonos Ace Ultra headphones, which build upon the legacy of the Sonos Ace headphones. You can also see what BGR thought about the company's latest speakers in our reviews for the Sonos Era 100 SL and the Sonos Play, both of which we enjoyed testing.

The Sonos Ace Ultra headphones have a similar design to the Sonos Ace. With stainless steel arms and hard, matte-finished plastic, the look of this pair of headphones is on par with pricey rivals like Apple's AirPods Max 2. Comfort was clearly a priority, with detachable ear cups and vegan leather for the headband. The grip of these headphones isn't too strong, but they stayed firmly on my head after hours and hours of testing.

Available in Black, Soft White, Agave, and Sand, these headphones feel very comfortable to wear, and what I like the most about them is that the earcups are big enough to cover my entire ears. You have the ability to physical turn the ear cups so they fit in a carrying case, which means they can also be turned while sitting on your head to account for earrings, glasses, and varying head shapes and sizes.

Weighing around 322 grams, the Sonos Ace Ultra headphones can be controlled by buttons on the device itself, by a connected Bluetooth device, or via the Sonos app. This is unfortunately one area where the Ace Ultra headphones fall short. For a pricey, premium offering, the buttons around the headphones feel cheap. They click loudly when you press them, which is something I'd expect from budget brands on Amazon. While they're reliable and work well, I don't like that they resonate so much in my ears — other brands do a much better job with their built-in buttons.

In the sound department, Sonos' latest headphones are pitch-perfect. With a 40 mm driver in each cup, users get deep bass, rich details, and zero distortion. The company says these new drivers make the mix feel closer while more headroom in the low end is available without muddying the rest of the mix. By putting these headphones to the test with multiple music genres, including my favorite songs, artists, and albums, I was consistently impressed by their performance.

Sonos also promises a few other premium features with the Ace Ultra headphones. They have support for Lossless audio over Bluetooth via aptX with a supported device or wired over USB-C. Dolby Atmos with Spatial Audio is also available alongside dynamic head tracking. On its app, Sonos offers EQ customization with simple and advanced controls, as well as a few options for improved bass at lower volumes and the ability to adapt the audio based on how the headphones are placed on your head.

Sonos says active noise cancelation on the Ace Ultra is up to twice as strong as the Ace's below 65 Hz frequencies. In my testing, the headphones were able to block most outside noise, but some sounds required me to turn the volume a bit up to fully tune them out. On the subway or near other people, I could hear my surroundings during quiet songs or if the song was about to end. In Ambient mode, I was able to stay aware of my surroundings while still enjoying my music. My voice and other people's voices also sounded good in this mode.

The Sonos app is the main hub for the Ace Ultra headphones. This is where you'll set up and update the headphones. The Sonos app is also where you can use headphone linking, which is an Early Access feature that lets the headphone stream over Wi-Fi and work through the app, so you can start a song on a speaker and then easily transfer it onto the headphones as you head out of the house. The app is also required for connecting the headphones to your TV system for Audio Swap setup with compatible soundbars or for enabling TrueCinema.

While the app has been updated since I last reviewed a speaker from Sonos, the release of the Ace Ultra headphones comes right on the heels of the new Sonos 27 operating system update rollout. So while the headphones are well-designed and sound great, the real question is whether or not Sonos has addressed the deficiencies of its software. In my experience, the app frequently needed a few seconds to perform actions or access my Apple Music library, and the headphone linking wasn't always reliable. For a company that has been making software for decades, that's disappointing to see.

I found that simply connecting the headphones to my iPhone, opening Apple Music, and choosing my favorite songs was the way to go. I only open the Sonos app when I need to tweak a setting or check the remaining battery life. Besides that, I avoid the app at all costs. In addition, Apple ensures that the experience becomes even more difficult, as you can't control the volume of the headphones via the iPhone's volume buttons — you need to physically touch the display or the headphones.

Sonos Ace Ultra headphones offer up to 35 hours of battery life, assuming you listen to songs at a moderate volume with ANC on. While turning ANC off can add a few hours, I almost always keep the feature turned on when I'm out and about. Sonos also says that a quick three minute charge can give the headphones up to 3 hours of playback, while a full charge takes up to three hours. The device charges over USB-C, and the headphones comply with the EU's new legislation, requiring portable batteries to be user-replaceable. A replacement battery kit is available from Sonos for $25.

Comparing the Ace Ultra headphones to another pair we recently reviewed, Marshall's Milton A.N.C. headphones offer up to 80 hours of battery life, or up to 50 hours with ANC on, and cost $229. While I can't say the battery is disappointing, because we're still talking about multiple days of frequent use, I do have to be more intentional about charging these than some other options I've tried.

Featuring Bluetooth 6 and Wi-Fi support, I also appreciate that these headphones are fairly smart all around, including a Wear Detection setting that pauses media automatically when you remove them. In addition, they turn off automatically after a while when not being used. Sonos offers a few other battery-related settings on its app that can help it last longer so you won't have to buy one of those replacement kits any time soon.

Having launched at $449, Sonos' latest headphones are undeniably expensive. That said, they certainly have the look of a premium offering — beside the bizarrely loud buttons. The sound quality can stand up against any other premium option on the market. The headphones also have the perk of featuring lossless audio and support for Dolby Atmos with Spatial Audio for the true audiophiles who want to get the most out of their music listening sessions. Battery life is great, too, though I wish Sonos would get closer to what Marshall currently offers.

The Sonos app continues to be a tricky topic, as the company has been through a long journey, but it still isn't especially reliable, and using it to stream songs is just annoying. Like many other headphone apps, I wish Sonos would keep it as simple as possible, as users would just have somewhere to go for quick settings changes and checking the battery. Transforming the app into a hub, even for someone with several Sonos devices, is still an underwhelming experience.

That said, if Sonos is a brand you have experience with, you like their signature sound, and you're able to look past the app's issues, then the Sonos Ace Ultra are a great pair of headphones that can be your daily driver for years to come. They look good, sound great, and have all the modern audio features you'd expect from a pair of headphones in this price range.